When did you start running?
Five years ago, I was 211 pounds and looked like I could lift a car, but I couldn’t walk. My back hurt. I got a role as a meth addict that called for me to lose a lot of weight, and the best way to do that was running. This was between seasons of Sons, which at that point, after season two, had started to become this juggernaut of a hit. I’d played sports my entire life, football, boxing. And at that time I was also doing Crossfit. I did a lot of research. With me, everything is about time. I was like, okay, what’s the most efficient way to burn a calorie? Running. Now, at this point I was still drinking. I was smoking. I didn’t know any better. I went out under the guise that I was in shape, and then I started to run, and I said, Oh my God. I could barely run a mile without getting winded. I’m so unbelievably competitive, next thing you know, I lost 43 pounds in 12 weeks. I got hooked on running. I quit smoking and drinking. Nothing else had ever made me feel so clear. The movie came and went, and that was it. We’re five years removed, and all of my work—the nonprofits, the TV, my production company—none of it would exist if I didn’t run six days a week. Something happens to me when I run. People think it’s crazy when I say it. All of my ideas come in when I run. That is my time where it’s just me, where I get to create. I mean, when things started getting really crazy for my Sons character—

You’re talking about when [spoiler redacted]...
Yes. Yes. That season of Sons was intense for me, so before jumping on my motorcycle to go to work at 5:30 a.m., I’d run at 3. It helped me deal with the day and become a better actor. I do that anytime I have a big day. Like, my production company, Dos Dudes, recently did our first screening of our first film. That was at 7 in the morning. I have to go run at 4 in the morning. If I don’t, everything is a little off.

I’ve engulfed myself in the culture. And I’m very involved with the nonprofit Boot Campaign, which receives donations from the Rock ’n’ Roll racing series[1]. I’ve been an ambassador since day one for them, traveling to every military base in the country and to Kuwait and Iraq. We’re doing the Shiner Beer Run in Texas and the Boot Run Nashville in November.

Do you run when you travel?
I run everywhere. I ran in Iraq. I just ran in Australia. The first thing I do in a new city is throw my sneakers on and run. That’s how I’m going to know what’s around me, so when someone asks later, “Where’s a good restaurant?” I’m like, “I just saw this two miles away.” There’s a Laundromat there, there’s a deli there. I can say that because I’ve already seen the city, where other people are looking at Google Maps.

Here’s a funny story. My girl and I go to the Caribbean for four days. Of course, I brought my Nike watch, my Asics, my heart rate monitor and all that, and I planned to run every day. I knock out a couple of days, and then the villa we’re renting gets broken into. I got robbed on vacation. My girlfriend was upset that they took the first necklace I gave her, but all I could think about was that my Nike watch got stolen and I hadn’t uploaded my miles yet. That’s how you know that there’s something wrong with you.

For me, it’s gotten to where—and I’m sure people have said this before—running’s kind of saved my life. I’ve done everything, workout-wise, but with running there’s this specific feeling that comes with it that once you do it, you do it for life. You know what it does to your mindset. Runner’s high is a real thing, all this stuff you feel, your endorphins are popping, and I appreciate the fact that you’re in competition with no one but yourself.

So, you’re a Staten Island native, your charity is called Staten Strong—have you ever considering running the New York City Marathon?
Yeah, I signed up and had to back out. The problem is New York is always during Sons of Anarchy filming, and when we’re on Sons, we’re all in. I mean, we work 14- to 17-hour days for five and a half months a year. Because of work, I’ve had to back out of many races. So, now, if there’s a really great run I want to do, like the New York City Marathon[2], I’ll mimic it on my own time. Like when I was in Vancouver filming this TV show a couple of years ago, there was this half marathon[3] that I was dying to do back in L.A., and what I did was I just went down by the seawall and ran the distance. I don’t feel like I have a second to do anything, and that’s why my running patterns are so crazy. I’ll run at three in the morning, 10 at night.

Your Sons character, Juice Ortiz, has really evolved on the show. Has running helped you develop him?
I can honestly say every single choice I’ve made as a character on that show has come from when I was running. All my best ideas for how to handle a specific situation that [series creator] Kurt Sutter has so brilliantly written for me, has come from running. When I know I have a big episode coming, I get out and let my mind be active, listening to my breath and figuring it out.

And it’s a physical show, too. Not just riding bikes but with action and fighting; how does running help in that aspect?
I’m a guy who used to be in squat and bench competitions in high school because of football. That’s all great and occasionally I do circuits of light weights and move as fast as I can, but now even all my weight workouts are like running in that they’re nonstop. I don’t take breaks. Everything is about stamina, even acting. You might do the same scene 15 times from different angles. Running gives me the stamina and discipline I need to act.

You’ve mentioned some of the charitable work you’ve done, but your character has a dark edge to him. Do runners ever come up to you surprised to see you’re a nice guy?
It’s funny. When I run with my character’s Mohawk and tattoos, it’s like being Rocky, where people throw oranges to you. People stop me on the street. I pause my watch, let them take some pictures, and then I’m like, “Okay, gotta go.” But even people who don’t know the show find it a little odd when they see a lunatic with tattoos on his head running around. It’s interesting. I’ve always found it very cool when you see someone who doesn’t look like a typical runner running. That always gets me jacked up. And people in New York are so funny. They’ll yell out the window at you, like, “Yo, I know your aunt.” I’m like, “Yeah, all right, thanks,” as I’m running. It’s amazing.

Where are your favorite places to run in your hometown?
I enjoy street running, especially in Manhattan. A lot of people can’t stand it because it’s dangerous. There’s people everywhere, but there’s something that makes me feel unbelievably alive about it. It’s the capital of the world. That in turn balances really well with running in Central Park. You can have the feeling of running in New York but without taxicabs trying to run you over. Then, where I grew up, in Staten Island, there’s no place like it. I just did 7 and a half miles on the boardwalk toward the Verrazano Bridge. I remember walking on the boardwalk as a kid. It pumps my blood, thinking about New York City and my borough and what I could do to better this community. I started Staten Strong, my nonprofit, for Hurricane Sandy relief, and we also do youth empowerment. I just spoke at a school and said, “Run. Be a part of your community. See where you live.” We’re setting up a 5K[4] on the beach once all the Sandy damage is taken care of.

What’s the craziest thing that’s happened to you on a run?
I get lost a lot. I get lost all the time. I don’t run with my phone on me. And I’m one of those people, I’ll run in any weather. Recently, I was in Sydney, and when we landed I want to go run towards the Opera House and along the park, and I got completely lost. But it’s actually a benefit, because you end up having to run more miles. Sometimes I’ll get lost on a run and I’ll just keep going. I get back and I’m like, Jesus, did I just run 16, 17 miles?You’re exhausted and you’re freezing and it becomes an adventure. Also, like five years ago I made this decision: I’ll never take an escalator or an elevator if there are steps. It’ll be 26 floors, and people are like, “What’s wrong with you?” I always get there faster than they do. It just seems to be a better idea. I remember hearing that an older actor, I think it was Cary Grant, always took the stairs. Somebody asked how he lived long and he said he always takes the steps. That is such an easy concept.

You’ll run in any weather?
When it’s like 9 degrees in New York and I see that guy running? I love it. I’m impressed. He ain’t taking no for an answer. It’s a lot harder to say yes than it is to say no. But you have to put on those shoes, you have to get that extra layer on, and you just have to go. I run in the snow. I run in the rain. People go, “Oh, it’s raining, I can’t run.” I think that’s ridiculous. It’s just rain. Go run. It’s no different. The ground’s still there.

And you run with your dogs, too?
Yeah, I run with my dog, Rocco. He’s a husky/wolf mix I found half-dead in Compton [L.A.]. Now he’s like the Fresh Prince. He pushes my pace and never wants to stop. He can go 7 to 7.5 miles per hour and he just loves it. When I get the leash to go running he goes crazy. Usually I run with him for two to four miles and then drop him off and go it alone. Sometimes I’ll take the other dogs. They’ll just go one or two miles.

Have you gotten any of the Sons of Anarchy cast into running?
I run with Kim Coates [who plays Tig Trager on the show] all the time. I even got him wearing compression socks. He got all embarrassed because the paparazzi took a photo of him with his big old compression socks. It was really funny because now I see him wearing pants over his compression socks because he doesn’t want people taking pictures of him.

So with the final season coming up, will you be running a whole lot more?
Ha. Yeah, definitely. With the stress of the season, I might be setting all sorts of personal records.